


silence

by orphan_account



Series: no sound without silence [1]
Category: IZONE (Band), K-pop
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:35:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 13,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25463338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "...i love you"
Relationships: Ahn Yujin/Kim Minju
Series: no sound without silence [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844362
Kudos: 10





	1. n

it was a monday morning, first day of the new school year. all the students of class 2-2 were standing around chatting while waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive.

one girl however, sat quietly reading a book at her desk as the rest of her peers conversed.

"i really hope mr. song changes the seating arrangment this year," a girl said to her two friends.

"i hope so for your sake too won," another girl said. "i couldn't stand being stuck beside the mute for a day, nevermind a year, i have no idea how you put up with it."

the three girls giggled while throwing side eyes at the girl reading.

minju's grip tightened on her book but she tried to tune the girls out.

the sound of the classroom door opening could be heard. all the students rushed to sit at their designated desks from the year before.

mr. song, their homeroom teacher walked into the room. there was a girl of similar age to the rest of the class behind him.

"good morning class," mr. song greeted. "i hope that you all had a good summer."

"before we go any further i would like to introduce you to a new member of your class," mr. song said. "miss ahn." he gestured for the girl to speak.

"hello," the girl said enthusiasticly. "my name is ahn yujin, please take care of me!"

mr. song nodded. "before i call role," he said, turning on the projector and his computer. "this is the new seating arrangment for the year, please move to your new seats."

minju looked at the image being projected onto the wall to see that she was in the same seat. good, she thought. she liked her window seat. she stared at the sky outside the window as the rest of her classmates moved around loudly. she didn't notice someone sitting at the desk beside her.

"right i'll take attendance now," mr. song said once everyone had settled down.

"kim minju," when minju's name was eventually called she knocked her fist on her desk and raised her hand. she heard some whispers and looked down at her desk.

when mr. song had finished the role he closed his computer. "i'm heading out to meet the principal for a few minutes," he said. "i'll be back shortly so don't cause too much trouble."

when the classroom door had closed the class once again burst into chatter.

minju felt a tap on her shoulder making her jump slightly. she turned away from the window to see the new girl at the desk beside her. what was her name again? yuah? ahnjin?

"i'm ahn yujin," she said, holding out her hand.

minju stared at yujin's hand before looking back up at the girl across from her.

"um, are you okay?" yujin asked letting out an awkward laugh.

"oh shes fine," someone said coming up behind yujin and minju. "aren't you minju." jang wonyoung gave minju a fake sweet smile. minju glupped and looked down.

"shes mute," choi yena, one of wonyoung's best friends said coming up beside wonyoung. "can't speak at all."

"kind of pathetic, isn't it," jo yuri, the third member of their little group, said.

i may be mute but i'm not deaf, minju thought to herself looking down again.

"why are you talking about her like that?" yujin said sounding annoyed, making minju look up in surprise. "you said shes mute, not deaf. she can still hear you." minju looked wide eyed at the girl in front of her.

"whatever," wonyoung said rolling her eyes. she, yuri and yena walked over to another table.

yujin turned her attention back to minju. "so, you really can't speak?" she said softly.

minju shook her head slowly. "oh," yujin's smile fell slightly. suddenly her eyes lit up. "do you understand sign language?" yujin asked while signing.

minju's eyes widened. 'yes,' she signed back. 'how do you know it?"

'my little brother is deaf. my whole family knows sign language.'

minju nodded.

'whats your name?' yujin signed.

minju hesitated before replying. yujin seemed like a nice person. maybe she was different?

'kim minju.'

"kim minju," yujin said with a smile.

minju smiled back.


	2. o

_ flashback _

_"chae wait for me!"_

_"minju you're so slow."_

_the two young girls fell in a giggling mess on the ground._

_minju perched herself up on her elbow and rested her chin in her hands. "we're going to be best friends forever," minju said. "right chaewon?"_

_chaewon giggled. "of course we are," she said, hitting minju lightly._

_chaewon suddenly jumped on top of minju, causing the younger to scream. "i love you minju," chaewon smiled._

_"love you too chae," minju chuckled._

_"oh you love me?" chaewon said. "okay! lets go get ramen! if you really love me you'll pay."_

_minju groaned and complained but eventually gave into the older girl. she stood up and held out her hand. "c'mon then," she said pulling chaewon up from the ground._

_they made their way to the closest convinence store which was only a few minutes walk away._

_"i assume you want the usual?" minju asked, earning a thumbs up from her best friend._

_minju paid for their ramen and they sat at a table._

_"hey minju," chaewon said._

_"yes?"_

_"have you applied for high school yet?" chaewon asked_

_minju shook her head. "have you?"_

_"not yet," chaewon said. "but i'm applying for silveroak."_

_minju almost choked on her noodles. "me too!" she exclaimed._

_"really?!" chaewon said. "we'll finally be in the same school._

_minju grinned. "just over one more year of this school and then we'll be in the same school, maybe even in the same class," she said excitedly._

_"ew i already see you enough as it is without going to the same school and now i'll have to see you more often," she crinkled up her face in mock disgust._

_minju pouted. "meanie."_

_the two girls couldn't stop themselves from bursting out into laughter._

_minju and chaewon had been best friends for as long as they could remember. they lived next door to one another and were always together when they weren't busy with school._

_"do you want to stay over tonight?" chaewon asked._

_"sure," minju said. "i'll just text my mum."_

_they finished their ramen and left the shop._

_minju's mum gave her permission to spend the night._

_chaewon went straight to her house while minju ran home to get her pyjamas and toothbrush._

_minju knocked on chaewon's front door._

_"oh hey minju-ah," a voice greeted her._

_"eunbi unnie!" minju grinned, hugging chaewon's older sister. "chaewon's upstairs, you can go straight up to her. mum's cooking food now and i'll call you both for it later."_

_"thanks unnie," minju smiled running upstairs._

_things were always like this. minju and chaewon happily hanging out, eunbi acting like an older sister to both of them and them practically living in each others house._

_it would be hard to imagine how drastically things could change in merely a few months._


	3. -

_all the hurt, all the lies_   
_all the tears that they cry_   
_when the moment is just right_   
_you'll see fire in their eyes_   
_because they're stronger than you know_   
_a heart of steel starts to grow_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_thats how a superhero learns to fly_


	4. s

lunch time arrived and minju packed her schoolbag and left the classroom as quickly as possible.

she made her way to the cafeteria where she stood in line for her lunch. luckily because of her rush the line wasn't long and she was quickly served.

minju walked to the side of the cafeteria and sat at a small table. this would be her first year to sit by herself at lunch. previously eunbi unnie or her brother or one of his friends would sit with her occasionally but most of them had graduated the previous year.

"minju?" a voice said, stirring her from her thoughts. she looked up to see someone familiar standing in front of her. she bowed her head in greeting to him.

"i guess we're in different classes this year," jeongin said.

minju nodded again. she had almost forgotten about jeongin. the youngest of her brothers friends. he didn't understand sign language though so minju had never been as close to him as she had with her oppas other friends.

"was your summer good?" minju gave him a thumbs up and gestured to him with the same question.

jeongin nodded and smiled. "yeah i had fun," he said. "i've to go now but i'll see you around. i'm always here if you need me." minju gave him an appreciative smile and waved as he walked towards some boys in his class and others from minju's class.

"why were you talking to the mute," one of the boys elbowed jeongin.

"dude she has a name," jeongin said, giving the boy an offended look. "she's my hyungs sister. you don't know anything about her so theres no need for you to be so harsh towards her."

minju looked down. 'thank you jeongin-ah.'

minju started to eat some of her food slowly. she winced at the feeling of it sliding down her throat. she couldn't help but hang her head and the sick feeling in her stomach. would she ever get better?

"excuse me?" minju jumped in surprise. another person? what was going on?

"is it okay if i sit here?" minju looked up to see none other than ahn yujin.

minju nodded hesitantly. yujin sat down opposite her with a grin.

minju looked down as yujin began to eat.

after a few minutes of silence minju looked up to see yujin looking directly at her.

'why did you want to sit here?' minju signed.

'you're pretty much the the only person that i know here,' yujin signed back with a chuckle. 'i'm too awkward to go look for new people.'

minju nodded and smiled slightly.

the two communicated through sign language getting to know each other better. minju knew that people were throwing weird looks at her and questioning ones at yujin. she hoped that there wouldn't be any maltreatment towards yujin because of this.

"ah yujin-ah," a voice said. minju looked up to see wonyoung, yuri and yena walking towards them.

"hello," yujin said.

"why don't you come sit with us," wonyoung said. "i'm sure there'd be... much better converstation." the three girls let out laughs.

"no thanks," yujin said with a smile. "i'm okay here."

"really?" wonyoung said.

"yup," yujin said. "bye now."

wonyoung, yuri and yena threw annoyed looks at the two girls before walking away.

yujin let out giggles when they had walked away. minju gave her a confused look.

"they're really something aren't they," yujin giggled. "'much better converstation' pssssh who they think they are." yujin mimicked the girls making funny faces.

minju couldn't help but laugh silently at the girls antics.

"wow even your laugh is soundless," yujin said, astonished. suddenly she froze. "oh my gosh i'm so sorry," she said. "that must be so rude."

minju laughed again and shook her head. 'its okay,' she signed.

yujin smiled in relief. the two girls continued to communicate for the remaining time of lunch.

minju still couldn't understand why yujin was so nice to her but one thing she knew for sure was that she was extremely grateful towards the bubbly girl.


	5. o

minju sat in class, staring out the window, just waiting for the bell to sound so that she could go home. today had been... interesting to the least. yujin was different from everyone else thats she had met so far in school.

the bell suddenly went signalling the end of the last class. minju packed up her stuff quickly, like she had earlier at lunch and made her way out of the classroom.

once the classroom was out of sight she slowed down. last year she'd always had her brother or one of his friends waiting for her outside of class after school so that no one would bother her but this year they were all gone.

"boo!" a voice said behind minju. she jumped and squeezed her eyes shut.

she turned around to see ahn yujin laughing. minju put her hand to her heart and took a deep breath.

'please don't do that,' minju signed to the younger girl.

yujin laughed but eventually nodded. "okay, i'm sorry," she said.

the two continued to walk out of the school. "do you live far from here?" yujin asked.

minju shook her head. 'its a short walk from here,' she signed. 'what about you?'

"not that far," yujin said. "but my mum is picking me up."

minju nodded.

"do you want a lift home?" yujin offered.

minju shook her head. 'i'm fine. it's a short walk.'

"okay," yujin grinned. "i'll see you tomorrow minju!" she waved at minju as she walked towards a car.

minju waved back. she couldn't prevent the smile that grew on her face as she turned to walk home.

after about five minutes of walking minju arrived home. she unlocked the door and walked inside. she dropped her bag on the ground as loudly as she could to notify her brother of her arrival.

"minju?" she heard her brothers voice come from the kitchen.

she walked into the kitchen to see him sitting at the table on his computer. she waved in greeting to him.

"how was school minju-ah?" seokjin asked looking up from his computer.

minju nodded and gave him a thumbs up. she walked to the fridge and opened.

"yah," seokjin said. "a thumbs up isn't enough. give me details."

minju rolled her eyes and grabbed a bottle of water. she sat down opposite her brother.

"so," he said. "how was school?"

'it was fine,' minju signed.

"did anyone say anything to you?" seokjin asked.

minju hesitated slightly. 'just the usual,' she eventually signed. 'and the whispering and looks, as normal.'

seokjin's forehead creased. "i'm sorry that i'm not there for you in school anymore," he said. "if anyone says anything bad or degrading to you tell me, or someone."

minju nodded. 'it wasn't all bad,' she signed. 'jeongin talked to me at lunch and theres a new girl in our class.'

"really?" seokjin said, giving her a look to go on.

'her names ahn yujin and she was nice. the teacher put us sitting beside each other. she understands sign language because her brother is deaf.'

seokjin's eyes lit up and minju couldn't help the small guilty feeling that came to her gut. "thats great!" he said. "do you think you guys will be friends?"

'maybe,' minju signed. 'i don't know yet.'

minju couldn't help but feel a bit guilty towards her brother. he spent so much time worrying about her and she wished that he could relax and enjoy himself more instead of worrying himself about her.

he seemed so relieved that there was someone who was nice to her and minju just wished that it could be seen as something normal instead of a miracle.

'i'm going upstairs to do my homework and study,' minju told her brother.

"okay," seokjin said. "i'll start cooking dinner and give you a shout when its ready. he looked back down at his computer as minju stood up.

he didn't see the singular tear drop from his sisters eye.


	6. u

a few weeks had passed since the new school year had started. minju and yujin had grown closer and closer by the day and minju was starting to look forward to coming into school.

"alright class," mr. song said, standing at the front of the classroom. "today i will be assigning you into pairs and giving you your art project information."

many students started to whisper to each other, hoping to guess who their partners were.

"yena and yuri, guanlin and daehwi, soeun and wonyoung, chenle and jisung, somi and heesun, manny and kangmin, gaon and yoojin, hohyeon and siwon, kyla and hyeju, hyunwoo and seunghyun and yujin and minju."

minju turned to the girl beside her to see her grinning from ear to ear. minju gave yujin a small smile in return and turned her attention back to the teacher.

"the topic of this project is 'hidden message' and it is due next week so i expect you all to work hard at it over the weekend," mr. song said.

"yes sir," all the students replied just as the bell rang.

minju packed up her stuff and stood up. she was surprised to see yujin rushing to catch up with her.

"hey minju," yujin said. "minjuuuuu."

minju stopped and turned around.

'yes?' minju asked.

"do you want to come over to my house tomorrow?" yujin asked. "to work on the project?"

minju took a minute to think before answering. 'i'll ask my parents.'

"okay," yujin said. "heres my number. give me a text if you can come over! i'll see you!" yujin handed her a piece of paper before running off towards a familiar car.

minju pocketed the piece of paper before walking home.

as usual she opened the house and went into the kitchen to greet her brother.

"hey minju-ah," seokjin said, closing the press. "how was school?"

'good,' minju signed after dropping her bag. 'i have an art project to do with yujin thats due for next week.'

"oh really?" seokjin said. "when are you going to do it?"

'she asked me to go over to her house tomorrow to work on it,' minju explained. 'can i go?'

seokjin shrugged. "i don't see why no," he said. "just double check with mum and dad when they come home."

'okay,' minju signed. she picked her bag back up and headed up to her room to do her homework.

she pulled her phone out and the piece of paper yujin had given her.

_create new contact?_

_yes_ _| no_

_phone number:_   
_111-2222-333_

_name:_

minju hesitated before entering a name. would it be bad if she...? might as well.

eventually she typed the name she had decided into the contact.

_yujin💖_

minju smiled slightly to herself at the name. she didn't know why the thought of yujin made her feel this way. what was this feeling?


	7. n

minju had been standing outside in to cold for the last five minutes debating whether she should knock or not.

finally, summing up every ounce of courage she had, she knocked on the door.

there was no answer for awhile and minju was about to knock again when the door swung open.

"minju!"

minju was greeted by a grinning yujin. minju smiled slightly and waved.

yujin opened the door wider and beckoned for minju to come in.

"my parents are just gone out to shop but they should be back soon," yujin exclaimed.

yujin started to jump down the hall. "my room is just down here," yujin said. "we can work on the project in there."

minju nodded and followed yujin into her room. she stood in the doorway as yujin jumped onto her bed.

the room was very colourful but blue seemed to be the standout colour of the room. minju couldn't help that her eyes lingered a bit longer on the small rainbow flag attached to yujin headboard.

"come in," yujin said. minju shuffled slightly inside the doorframe. "so, do you have any ideas for the project?"

minju thought for a minute but ended with a blank. she shrugged her shoulders.

"minju sit down," yujin said patting the bed beside her. "we're friends aren't we? no need to be awkward!" yujin gave her a reasurring smile.

minju quietly sat on the bed beside yujin.

suddenly there was a knock on the door. it opened and a boy of about twelve years old entered.

he started to speak in sign language. 'noona when are mom and dad home? i'm hungry.' he suddenly noticed minju. 'whos thats?'

'mom and dad should be home in a few minutes,' yujin signed to her brother. 'and this is minju, my friend from school.'

"minju, meet my little brother youngjae," yujin stood up and ruffled her brothers hair.

minju waved shyly at the young boy. 'hi,' she signed. 'its nice to meet you youngjae-ah.'

youngjae's eyes suddenly lit up in excitement. 'you understand sign language? are you deaf too?'

'no...' minju signed. 'i'm... i can't speak.'

'why not?' youngjae signed.

'okay thats enough questions i think,' yujin signed, guiding her brother out of the room. 'open the door for mom and dad when they get back.'

yujin closed her door with a sigh. "sorry about that," she said. "he probably doesn't understand that its rude to ask."

minju shook her head. 'its okay.'

"anyway," yujin said. "i have an idea for our project."

minju nodded at her to continue and yujin explained her idea.

-

  
  


minju and yujin exited yujin's room to be greeted by yujin's parents.

"oh hello!" yujin's mother said. "you must be minju."

minju nodded.

"its nice to meet you," yujin's father said. "we've heard a lot about you from yujin." minju couldn't help but laugh silently as yujin's face flushed.

"i'm going to the bathroom," yujin announced. "don't annoy minju please." with that yujin walked down another hall.

mrs and mr ahn turned their attention to minju.

"we'd like to thank you for being a good friend to yujin," mrs. ahn said. "the move wasn't that easy for her."

"also," mr. ahn said. "we tend not to have as much time for her as we'd like to because of work and caring for her brother youngjae, who as you know, is deaf."

'i understand,' minju signed.

"so thank you for being there for yujin and being a good friend to her," mrs. ahn said.

minju smiled and nodded. 'its me who should be thanking yujin, not the other way round,' minju signed.

mrs. and mr. ahn smiled at the young girl.

yujin returned, loudly, from the bathroom. "right people," she said. "lets go!"

'pardon?' minju signed.

"we'll drop you home," mr. ahn said.

'oh no its fine,' minju signed. 'i can walk, its not far.'

"nonsense," yujin said. "we'll bring you."

despite minju's requests that she was fine she ended up sitting in the back of the ahn's car with yujin.

"is it here minju?" mr. ahn asked. minju nodded and he pulled over.

minju unbuckled her seatbelt. she turned to yujin before getting out of the car.

'do you want to come over to my house tomorrow to finish the project?' she asked.

"sure!" yujin grinned. "if thats okay with you dad?"

"of course it is," mr. ahn said.

"well i'll see you tomorrow then minju," yujin said.

'yes, thank you,' minju signed, opening the car door.

minju was shocked when yujin reached across and hugged her. "bye," yujin said.

'bye,' minju signed quickly. she could feel her face heating up. she hopped out of the car and ran to the front door of her house. she knocked and turned back to wave at the ahns as they drove off.

the door opened and seokjin let her in. "you look happy," he commented.

minju felt her face flushing again and couldn't stop the smile growing on her face as she remembered yujin hugging her.

'its nothing,' she signed. 'i just had a good day.'

"okay," seokjin said, giving her an amused look and a happy smile. "whatever you say minju-ah, whatever you say."


	8. d

minju ran down the hall quickly as she heard a knock on the door. she steadied herself and plastered a smile on her face before opening the door.

"oh hello minju-ah," minju's smile dropped slightly. none the less she waved and let the people in.

"wheres seokjin?" sakura asked.

'he's just in the kitchen,' minju signed. sakura blinked not understanding.

"he's in the kitchen," chaeyeon explained to her girlfriend. she smiled at minju.

"hey minju," one of the boys said coming forward. he ruffled her hair. "hows school going?"

'its fine,' minju signed. chan gave her look. 'its fine, i promise.'

"you didn't look too happy to see us," changbin teased elbowing minju. "were you expecting someone else?"

minju flushed and shook her head. "sureee," changbin laughed.

"its good to see you again minju," felix nodded at her.

the group of five made their way into the kitchen where minju's older brother was.

seokjin and chan had been best friends since they were young and so had chaeyeon and changbin. the four ended up becoming a group of best friends in middle school. sakura was chaeyeon's girlfriend and felix was changbin's boyfriend.

chan, changbin and chaeyeon all knew sign language which was something that was extremely helpful to minju and something that both seokjin and minju were grateful for.

minju frowned and sat down on the ground beside the door. after a few minutes of just wondering when yujin would get there, she stood up and went into the kitchen to get a drink.

just as she opened the fridge there was a knock on the door. "i'll get it," seokjin shouted, walking out of the room.

minju grabbed a bottle of water and closed the fridge.

"minju, yujin's here!" seokjin shouted. minju broke into a grin and made her way towards the door.

seokjin winked at minju and she elbowed her brother.

"hi minju!" yujin said happily. minju waved at yujin.

"your house is really nice," yujin said.

'thank you,' minju signed. there was awkward silence for awhile.

'we can work on the project in my room,' minju eventually signed. she led yujin to her room.

the two sat on the floor and went to work on their project.

suddenly they were interrupted by shouts.

"MINJU," a voice shouted. "AHHH MINJU HELP ME."

yujin gave minju a bewildered look but minju just rolled her eyes and stood up. 'my brothers friends.'

minju walked into the kitchen to see chaeyeon attacking changbin and felix sitting on the couch not knowing what to do.

"minju," changbin was shouting. "help meeee. get this devil away from me!"

minju walked over to the two stooges and stood in front of changbin.

she pouted at chaeyeon. 'you wouldn't hit me right unnie?' minju signed, giving chaeyeon puppy eyes.

"kdksksksks," chaeyeon said, backing away from changbin and minju.

"i think you made her malfunction," changbin laughed. minju laughed silently and turned around to face changbin. he put his hand out for a high five but minju hit him on the head.

'binnie what did you say to chaeyeon this time?' she signed, giving him a stern look.

"no-not-nothing," changbin said. minju glared at him. "i just called her dumb."

minju shook her head at him. 'wheres oppa and chan and sakura gone?'

"they went out to the shop, they should be back soon," chaeyeon said.

minju nodded and turned to the door.... and saw yujin staring at the three of them.

"ah!" changbin said. "whos that? is she your girlfriend." he smirked.

minju hit him again. 'no,' she signed. _unfortunately_. 'shes my friend from school. we're working on a project.'

"okay," changbin said, still smirking.

minju rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen. 'sorry about them,' minju signed. 'they're really weird.'

yujin laughed. "its fine," she said. "they seem cool."

minju shook her head and laughed silently. 'they're crazy,' she signed. 'the ones fighting like children were chaeyeon and changbin and the one on the couch was felix. my brother seokjin and sakura and chan are gone to the shop.'

yujin nodded and the two girls went back to minju's room to finish the project.

"finally we're finished," yujin exclaimed, falling back onto minju's bed. minju laughed silently at the girl.

there was a knock on minju's bedroom door. "yujin's parents are here," seokjin said.

the two girls tidied up and left minju's bedroom.

'thanks for coming today,' minju signed. 'i'll see you at school tomorrow.'

"yes, i'll see you tomorrow," yujin said. the two girls hugged.

yujin then did something that surprised minju.

she kissed her on the cheek.

"bye minju," she giggled, waving and running out the door.

minju held her hand to her cheek in surprise and smiled.


	9. -

_did you break but never mend?_   
_did it hurt so much you thought it was the end?_   
_lose your heart but don't know when_   
_and no one cares, there's no one there_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_did you see the sparks, feel the hope that you are not alone?_


	10. w

_ flashback _

_minju picked up her phone to see a text from her best friend._

_ chae💕; we still meeting up at the park? can you pick up my purse from my house on your way here? thanks love you bestie. _

_minju rolled her eyes and stood up from her bed. she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder._

_"seokjin, i'm meeting chae now," minju said, tapping her brother on the shoulder. "i'll see you later."_

_"okay minju-ah," he said. "have fun and make sure to be back before 10."_

_"yes i know," minju chuckled. "bye."_

_minju shut the door and made her way to the house beside hers. she knocked and waited for the door to open._

_"hell- oh hey minju-ah," eunbi said opening the door._

_"hi unnie!" minju hugged the older girl._

_"what brings you here?" eunbi asked. "chae said she was meeting you at the park."_

_"we are," minju explained. "she forgot her purse though so she asked me if i'd pick it up for her."_

_"ah okay," eunbi said. "its probably in her room so you can run and get it if you want."_

_"okay unnie, thanks," minju grinned, running into the house. she went into chaewon's room and grabbed her purse._

_just as she was about to leave she noticed the picture frame that she had gotten chaewon for her birthday that year._

_it was a picture of the two best friends and said 'best friends for life'._

_minju grinned and left the room._

_"i'll see you later unnie!" minju said. "the three of us are going to the cinema tomorrow right?"_

_"yes," eunbi smiled. "see you minju-ah."_

_minju waved at eunbi and left the house. she started on her way towards the park._

_she ended up in front of the convenience store that she and chaewon often went to._

_"i'll be nice and get some ramen for us," minju said to herself._

_she went into the shop and bought their usual ramen cups. she also made sure to get hot water and chopsticks._

_just as she was leaving the shop her phone started to ring._

_"hellooo~"_

_"yah kim minju."_

_chaewon sounded very impatient._

_"yes?"_

_"whats taking you so long?"_

_"chill. i just got us some ramen and snacks. i'll be there in a few minutes._

_"okay. i'm-"_

_"what?" chaewon had stopped talking. "chae?"_

_"who are you? what are you doing?"_

_chaewon's voice came through the phone. it seemed like she was talking to someone else._

_"chaewon whats happening?" minju said, starting to get worried._

_"stay away from me! ahh! help!"_

_suddenly chaewon let out a high pitched scream and the line went dead._

_minju almost dropped her phone in shock. what on earth?_

_panic quickly consumed her and she started to run towards the park. if only she hadn't stopped for ramen._


	11. i

minju finished getting dressed and opened her bedroom door. she started to make her way into the bathroom, just as there was a knock on the front door.

"i'll get it," seokjin shouted.

minju washed her face, brushed her teeth and brushed her hair.

she then went back to her bedroom and almost fell in surprise.

"hey minju," yujin was sitting on minju's bed grinning at her.

'what are you doing here?' minju signed.

"i wanted to walk to school with you," yujin said.

'oh okay,' minju nodded.

she went to grab her bag only to be interrupted by yujin.

"who's this?" she asked.

minju looked at her to see yujin holding a photoframe.

(picture of eunbi, chaewon and minju)

'no one,' minju signed. she quickly grabbed the photo from yujin and placed it gently back on her desk. 'no one, don't ask about it.'

"oh," yujin looked guilty.

'lets go to school,' minju forced a smile and led the younger girl from her room.

'bye seokjin,' minju went into the kitchen to say goodbye to her brother.

"bye minju, bye yujin," he called after the two girls. "have a good day in school."

the two girls left the house and started to walk to school. it was silent for the first minute or so until yujin finally spoke up. "sorry about the photo earlier," she said.

minju shook her head. 'no i'm sorry,' she signed. 'i shouldn't have reacted like that, you were just curious.'

"still i'm sorry," yujin said. "i know now that its something you're not comfortable sharing."

'at the moment its not,' minju signed. 'but maybe i'll tell you someday.'

the girls eventually arrived at school and headed straight to their class.

the teacher arrived soon after and asked them to present their art projects.

minju and yujin were the last to present theirs. obviously, yujin was the only one really presenting it.

"this is the project minju and i worked on this weekend," yujin explained. "its 'hidden message' is quite literal rather than metaphorical but only very few would be able to see what it is. thank you."

the two girls sat down. their project was a painting of five people. they had painted the people with each hand making a sign language symbol spelling out their names.

"ours is the best," yujin whispered to minju, making her break out into a wide grin.

*********

minju walked into the cafeteria. she was later for lunch than usual because mr. song had asked her to stay back and explain her art project to him.

"minju!" a voice called as soon as she had stepped into the hall.

minju looked for the source of the voice and spotted yujin sitting at their usual table. she smiled and made her way over to her.

"i got your lunch for you too since i wasn't sure how long you'd be," yujin said.

minju nodded in graditude and sat opposite yujin. she looked at the food in front her and had to force her face not to drop.

"you okay," yujin asked.

minju nodded and forced a smile.

she grabbed her chopsticks.

ramen. why did it have to be ramen.

minju took a shaky breath and picked up some of the ramen with her chopsticks.

she put it in her mouth and chewed and swallowed it as quickly as possible. _its okay minju. its just food. you can do this._

suddenly her stomach cramped. she jumped out of her seat amd ran towards the nearest bathroom, completely ignoring yujin's cries of her name.

next thing minju knew she was after throwing up in a toilet and there were tears streaming down her face.

she heard someone come up behind her. "minju are you okay?" yujin asked.

'please go away,' minju signed, shaking. she buried her face in her hands as she heard yujin leave.

tears continued to flow down her cheeks. _why did this have to happen to me? why can't i just be normal? why can't all this just stop?_


	12. t

minju sat in the nurses office.

"ramen again?" mrs. im, the nurse, asked.

minju nodded slowly.

"you know you aren't supposed to eat ramen minju-ah," mrs. im said, shaking her head slightly.

'i know,' minju wrote down. 'i'm sorry.'

"theres no need to apologise to me," mrs. im said. "you just need to take better care of yourself."

mrs. im was the school nurse but she couldn't understand sign language, so she had a whiteboard in her office that she let minju use to talk to her.

"i've called seokjin and he should be here in a few minutes to collect you," mrs. im said. "you haven't had any flashbacks or headaches or anything yet have you?"

minju shook her head in reply.

"okay," mrs. im said. "i'll make sure to tell woojin so that he'll keep an eye on you when you go home." she smiled kindly at minju. "i've to go out for a minute so if i'm not back by the time your brother gets here you can just leave."

minju smiled and nodded in reply.

as soon as mrs. im had left, minju bent over in her chair and held her head in her hands.

she shouldn't have eaten the ramen, she was so stupid.

there a knock at the office door and minju looked up. the door opened and some one walked in.

"hey minju, you okay?" yujin asked. "i'm really worried about you."

minju looked in the opposite direction of yujin. 'i'm fine yujin,' she signed. 'you should go to class.'

"but i want to stay with you," yujin said. "what am i supposed to do in class without you? and i don't want to leave you on your own."

'yujin i'm fine,' minju signed aggressively. 'my brother is on his way. now please go to class. i don't want you getting in trouble because of me.'

yujin looked at minju one more time and sighed. she turned and left.

minju had to hold back her tears. she shouldn't have reacted like that but she couldn't stop it.

eventually seokjin arrived to pick her up and they went straight home.

minju's head was pounding by the time she stepped inside the front door.

she dropped her schoolbag and turned to her brother. 'i'm going to lie down,' minju signed. 'i'm really tired.'

"okay," seokjin said. "make sure to make lots of noise if anything happens. i'm just down the hall."

minju made her way to her bedroom. she didn't bother getting changed and just climbed straight into bed.

she took some deep breaths before closing her eyes and attempted to fall asleep.

her head felt like it was spinning but she tried to calm herself.

she eventually drifted off to sleep...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


and then the nightmare came.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_screaming, crying...._   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"chaewon!"_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_bright lights, high pitched noises......_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"minju!"_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_and then......._ _ silence _ _._


	13. h

minju stayed home from school the next day. she told seokjin she still wasn't feeling well and he let her stay home.

"minju i'm going to college now," seokjin said opening her bedroom door. "i'll see you later. someone's gonna come over in a bit to keep an eye on you."

'okay,' minju signed.

seokjin waved goodbye and then left.

minju snuggled further into her blankets and pulled out her phone.

she was halfway through watching a video when there was a knock on the front door.

minju stood up and went down the hall and opened the front door.

"hi minju-ah!" chaeyeon greeted the younger girl.

'hi unnie,' minju signed and led chaeyeon to her room.

"you feeling any better?" chaeyeon asked, sitting on the end of minju's bed.

'yeah,' minju signed climbing back into bed. 'i just don't want to go into school today.'

chaeyeon chuckled and ruffled minju's hair.

chaeyeon had been minju's first crush on a girl. it was a few years ago and was simply just a crush. minju had liked a couple of girls since but it had never led to anything.

'unnie,' minju signed, gaining chaeyeon's attention. 'can i talk to you about something.'

"sure you can," chaeyeon said.

minju took a deep breath before starting. 'theres this person,' minju signed. 'they make me feel weird, like really happy but also anxious. i don't really know how to describe it but they make me feel different than other people do. they always make me smile and laugh and i really like being around them but at the same time i don't want them to see me weak.'

a smile spread across chaeyeon's face. "minju-ah, i think you like this person," chaeyeon said. "awwww my little minju has a crush."

'stop teasing me,' minju signed, her face flushing.

"who is it?" chaeyeon asked. "is it that girl from the other day? she was cute."

minju didn't answer but her face turned a brighter shade of red, telling chaeyeon all she needed to know.

"it is," chaeyeon said. "awwww."

'what should i do?' minju asked.

"well maybe you should try see if she has any interest in you first and then ask her out," chaeyeon suggested.

'thanks unnie,' minju signed. 'i think i'm going to sleep for a while.'

"okay minju," chaeyeon said. "i'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

*********

minju woke up a few hours later. she looked at her alarm clock and saw that school was finished.

she climbed out of bed and went into the kitchen. chaeyeon was watching tv and woojin wasn't home yet.

minju got a bottle of water from the fridge and sat on the couch beside chaeyeon.

"did you have a good sleep?" chaeyeon asked. minju nodded in reply.

just as minju was standing up, there was a knock on the front door. seokjin, maybe?

minju stood up and went to answer it. she was surprised by who it was.

'yujin?'

"hey minju," yujin smiled. "i just came to give you todays notes and homework."

'oh thank you,' minju signed.

"also i hope you're feeling better," yujin said. "i missed having you in class and at lunch today."

minju flushed slightly and just nodded in reply.

"i was also wondering if you'd like to go to the cinema with me after school tomorrow," yujin shuffled her feet nervously, looking at the ground. "theres a new movie out that i'd like to see and i think you'd like it too."

'sure,' minju was redder than ever.

"great!" yujin exclaimed. "i'll see you tomorrow."

yujin stood in through the doorway and pecked minju on the cheek, shocking her once again.

"bye," yujin grinned, slightly pink.

minju waved goodbye slowly at yujin, closing the door.

_i think i'm in love..._


	14. o

seokjin

_about a week later_

seokjin rubbed his eyes aggresively, trying to stop them from their continuous attempt to close. the droning voice of his college professor didn't do much to fight his need for sleep.

finally, the long long hour ended and they were let go from the class. seokjin started to pack up his stuff and felt a tap on his shoulder.

"usual table for lunch?" chan asked him. seokjin nodded tiredly and stood up.

"hey guys," they were greeted by chaeyeon and sakura already sitting at their usual table.

"hey," seokjin sighed, sitting opposite the two girls.

they were soon joined by changbin and a new friend of theres, minho. changbin had met minho through their boyfriends who were in the same high school class and minho had eased easily into the friend group.

"hey seokjin," chan said, elbowing him. "you okay? you don't look so good."

seokjin went to nod but a yawn overtook him before he could.

"seokjin seriously whats wrong," chaeyeon said. "you've barely been able to keep your eyes open in classes lately and you keep blanking."

seokjin sighed and buried his face in his hands. he rubbed his face before looking up again.

"i'm just really worried about minju," seokjin confessed. "she was getting so better and now, all of a sudden, she's just after completely dropping again."

chaeyeon, changbin and chan exchanged worried looks.

"she won't eat," seokjin said, trying to hold back his tears that threatened to spill. "she keeps having nightmares and i'm too scared to leave her on her own in case something happens."

"seokjin..." changbin sighed.

"i know your worried about minju," chan said. "we all are, she's like a sister to me too. but you have to take care of yourself too. minju might just be going through a rough patch at the moment."

"yeah," seokjin nodded slightly but his mind was already starting to drift. his shook his head to clear his thoughts. "sorry, i'm just worried, thats all."

"its fine," changbin smiled in understanding.

"do you guys all want to come over later?" seokjin asked. "it would be good to have other people around the house."

"yeah," chan said. "i'm sure i'm free." the others nodded in agreement."

they chatted and laughed normally for awhile until seokjin's phone started to ring.

"wonder who it is," seokjin muttered. he pulled it out and almost dropped it when he saw that dreaded number.

he shakingly lifted it to his ear.

_"hello?"_


	15. u

the bell went signalling the end of another day of classes. "we still going to the cinema?" yujin asked.

minju nodded and smiled.

"great!" yujin exclaimed. "my mum can take our bags so we don't have to carry them all the way with us."

the two girls left the school where they were greeted by the ahn's car. the climbed in and yujin's mum drive them to the cinema.

"have fun girls," mrs ahn said letting them out at the cinema.

minju felt nervous for some reason and she couldn't quite explain why. she was just going to the cinema.... with ahn yujin.

'what movie are we watching?' minju asked.

"you'll see," yujin replied.

yujin bought popcorn and minju just bought herself a drink.

there was only about five or six people in the whole cinema screen with them.

the movie started and minju wasn't all that disappointed to see that it was a very cheesy rom-com.

yujin was continuously laughing and commentating throughout the entire movie and minju couldn't help but find the younger girl cute.

minju could've sworn her heart stopped when yujin held her hand in the middle of the movie. minju looked over at her to see if she had a reason but yujin was staring dead straight at the screen in front of them.

the movie eventually ended and the two girls left the movie screen in high spirits. "that was really good don't you agree?" yujin said, swinging their hands.

minju nodded and laughed silently.

the two girls continued to discuss the movie until yujin suddenly stopped. she let go of minju's hand quickly.

minju looked down in confusion and then looked back up again. she saw yujin looking at a group of girls. none of the girls spoke. one of them just smirked, saying more than any words could.

_oh of course its them._

"lets go," yujin said, forcing a smile.

the two girls left the cinema and stood outside waiting for yujin's mum to arrive.

'thank you for inviting me,' minju signed.

"thank you for coming!" yujin said, giving minju a hug.

a wave of courage suddenly overcame minju and moved in closer to yujin...

and leant forward....

and pressed her lips onto yujin's

yujin responded by kissing back almost immediately and minju couldn't help but smile.

they eventually pulled apart, both blushing.

'i, i'm going to go now,' minju signed hastily. 'i'll see you tomorrow.'

"bye minju," yujin waved enthusiastically, a grin plastered on her face.

minju smiled the whole walk home and her heart beat at a million miles a hour.


	16. t

the next day minju arrived at school feeling elated after the night before. she had never felt these sort if feelings towards someone before or these kind of happy feelings after spending time with someone. was she really in love?

she didn't even try to hide her smile as she walked into her classroom. some of her classmates were surprised by her happy expression as opposed to her usual blank or gloomy one.

quite a bit later yujin entered the classroom and sat at her desk next to minju's.

'good morning,' minju greeted the other girl.

"morning minju," yujin said quickly before turning back to face the front of the class. she seemed a bit off. not only that,, she'd been a lot later for class than normal.

minju was about to ask if everything was okay but mr. song entered the classroom. she'd have to wait until lunch.

lunch time arrived and minju stood up. 'usual table?' she signed to yujin.

"ah sorry," yujin said, busying herself with packing up her stuff. "i actually can't today. i have to talk to mr. song about something so i don't have time to go to lunch."

'ah i see,' minju signed. 'its okay, i'll see you in class after lunch then.'

and so minju went to lunch by herself.

when she returned she was expecting yujin to talk to her but the younger girl sat silently at her desk.

the day of classes ended and minju was surprised when yujin packed up all her stuff quickly and left without a word.

minju thought that she might be waiting outside the classroom or outside the school to scare her so she packed up quickly, but she was disappointed when she couldn't find the younger girl.

the same thing continued for the next couple of days. yujin would arrive late for class, skip lunch with a new excuse everyday and then leave as soon as the bell went at the end of the day without saying more than simple greetings and phrases to minju.

this was really starting to take its toll on minju. was something wrong? had minju done something wrong? was she the reason why yujin wasn't talking to her? had she ruined the only chance she'd had of having a friend since the incident?

between her worried thoughts and her now frequent nightmares and flashbacks she was having trouble sleeping and was eating even less than before.

one of the days she arrived home late from school and was greeted by seokjin waiting for her.

"what took you so long?" he asked her.

'nothing,' minju signed and dropped her bag on the floor. 'i'm just tired so i walked slower than usual.'

"okay then," seokjin said. "you should go to bed earlier tonight then. also, dinner will be ready soon."

'i was already going to sleep earlier,' minju replied. 'and i'm not hungry. i'm going to my room.'

she heard her brother sigh as she closed herself in her room.

she sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands.

_i miss you_


	17. -

_all the things that we have lost_   
_breaking up comes at a cost_   
_i know I'll miss this mistake_   
_every word i try to choose_   
_either way i’m gonna lose_   
_can’t take the ache from heartbreak_   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_wheres the good in goodbye?_


	18. s

"minju," seokjin said as his sister walked into the kitchen. minju turned her attention to him.

"chaeyeon and the others are doing a dance performance downtown today and they want you to come watch," seokjin said to her closing his computer.

'why?' minju asked.

"she just asked for you to be there," seokjin said. "get your coat, we'll leave now."

'okay,' minju signed.

they left their house and made their way into the centre of town. chaeyeon and the rest of her dance group were setting up. she recognised most of the members, she was supposed to join the dance group, before, well before the accident

chaeyeon was the temporary leader of the group since the actual leader attended college and worked in japan. chan, felix and sakura were also in the group along with their other friends minho, hyunjin, jisung, hitomi, hyewon and nako. minju's class mates jeongin and yena were part of the group as well.

minju used to be passionate about dancing. she and her best friend had auditioned for chaeyeon's dance group and had even earned their places, but those plans had fallen through.

"minju-ah!" minju looked up to see chaeyeon jogging towards her. "i'm glad you came. i'm sure you'll enjoy our performance."

'good luck unnie,' minju signed. 'you'll do amazing. wish the whole group luck from me."

chaeyeon smiled excitedly at minju before returning to the group.

minju joined her brother and changbin as they waited for the performance to start.

changbin elbowed minju. "yah minju," he said. "isn't that your friend for the other day. yujin?" he pointed to a group of girls standing a bit away from them

'oh,' was all that minju could think.

yes, yujin was there. yujin was there with jang wonyoung and jo yuri, waving excitedly at choi yena.

minju swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before nodding in reply.

"why don't you go-" changbin seemed to notice who yujin was with before he could finish his sentence. "hang on. why is she with them?"

"i don't know,' minju signed, feeling uncomfortable. 'and it doesn't matter.'

minju turned her attention to the performance that was now starting. she pushed the thought of yujin from her mind for the moment. _don't think about her, don't think about her._

minju clapped for chaeyeon and the rest of the dance group as they finished their first two songs. as the third song started someone else joined the dance. minju couldn't see their face because they were wearing a cap, sunglasses and mask.

the song started and minju recognised it immediately. it was the song she and chae had auditioned with... she tried to catch her brothers attention but his eyes were glued to the performance.

the song ended and everyone clapped. the whole group came forward. "one, two, three," chaeyeon and chan said.

"hello! we are as one dance crew," they all said. "thank you for coming to our performance."

"some of you may be wondering who the person who joined us for the last song is," chaeyeon said. "well, our leader is back!"

the mysterious person stepped forward and took off their glasses and mask. "leader eunbi is back!" she shouted, earning cheers from the crowd.

minju's hand flew up to her mouth in shock. before she could stop herself, she was pushing her way through the crowd towards the girl.

"minju-ah," eunbi said, spotting the younger girl. her eyes were wet.

minju lost it as she hugged her unnie. she hadn't cried this hard in a long time.

"shush," eunbi said, rubbing minju's back and trying to calm the girl down.

it was moments like this where minju wished desperately that she wasn't mute.

it was in this moment that the memory of the tragedy that happened three years prior hit the citizens of the town like a ton of bricks.

in this moment one girl stood with guilt in her heart at the memory of the friends she'd lost both literally and metaphorically.

in this moment another girl stood in confusion of the sombre mood and in pain at the sight of minju's tears.

in this moment minju was with her unnie, just like the old days. except something bit was missing. someone was missing.


	19. i

_ flashback _

_"chaewon whats happening?" minju said, starting to get worried._

_"stay away from me! ahh! help!"_

_suddenly chaewon let out a high pitched scream and the line went dead._

_minju almost dropped her phone in shock. what on earth?_

_panic quickly consumed her and she started to run towards the park._

_minju arrived to the park quickly and called out chaewon's name, hoping that she'd reply._

_when she heard no reply she started to head into the park._

_ahead of her she could see the silhouette of what possibly was people._

_she moved forward cautiously until she heard the familiar voice._

_"please, please go away," chaewon sobbed. "don't... stop stop stop please stop."_

_fear filled minju as she witnessed the scene taking place in front of her._

_chaewon was lying helpless on the ground as a man... touched her and tried to take off her clothes._

_"oh my god," minju whispered to herself._

_panic was started to fill her now and in the moment she did what she thought was best._

_taking a deep breath she ran forward. "get away from her!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. she kicked the man until he was far enough away from chaewon._

_minju reached down and grabbed chaewon's hand. she pulled her up, held her close and started to run._

_"i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry," minju whispered over and over again. "i shouldn't have stopped in the shop. this is all my fault."_

_chaewon who was too in shock to reply properly just shook her head. "no no," she mumbled. "not your fault."_

_the two girls kept running and didn't stop even when they were out of the park. they didn't pay attention to where they were going either though._

_neither girl saw it coming as they were both blinded with tears and panic._

_bright lights, tires screeching..._   
  
  


_...and then_ _ silence _ _._

_*****_

_minju woke up to a beeping noise._

_she blinked her eyes a couple of times before opening them properly. she tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain in her leg._

_she winced slightly._

_"oh my god you're awake," minju craned her neck to the side to she see her brother sitting beside her._

_'what happened,' she tried to ask only for no sound to come out of her mouth._

_panic rose in her throat and she started to breath rapidly. she pointed frantically at her throat._

_"shuuuushhh," seokjin said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "don't panic. the doctor is going to explain everything." he used his other hand to wipe his eyes._

_"hi minju," a man said. "i'm doctor park and its great to see that you're awake." he cleared his throat before continuing. "minju you were in a car accident almost two weeks ago. you suffered a very bad injury to your right leg and also a very very hard blow to the head. you recieved trauma to the broca's area which is responsible for language processing. between that and your trauma from the accident.... i'm afraid to say minju but you're mute."_

_the colour drained from minju's face. she felt like the world was crashing down around her. suddenly a thought hit her._

_she forced herself to sit up even though it sent pain all through her leg. she grabbed a piece of paper and pen for the table beside her bed and wrote down the question that was now eating at her._

_'where's chaewon?'_

_"um," the doctor said, clearing his throat. "i'm afraid to tell you but miss chaewon... she didn't make it."_

_the pen and paper fell from minju's hands._

_"i'm so sorry min," seokjin started to say but minju couldn't hear him._

_for the first few months minju did nothing. she barely ate or drank. she didn't go to school. she found out about her ptsd and her inability to eat without getting sick. she would rarely communicate with anyone._

_then eunbi came to talk to her._

_"minju-ah," eunbi said._

_minju looked up and tears instantly filled her eyes. she wanted to talk to eunbi. tell her eveything that happened. not just what she'd told the doctors and the police._

_eunbi hugged minju. "its okay," she said. "i'm okay. obviously i'm upset but we have to be strong."_

_minju nodded and wiped her eyes._

_"we're going to learn sign language okay?" eunbi said. "and we're going to able to talk and we're going to help you get better bit by bit and day by day."_

_eventually minju slowly got better but every day, every single day she would miss her best friend and everything they would do together. she missed chaewon with all her heart and she always would._


	20. l

minju and eunbi sat on a bench as the park started to clear out.

'i missed you so much,' minju signed. her throat felt tight and her eyes were raw from crying.

"i missed you too min," eunbi said hugging the younger girl again. "how have you been?" she looked concerned.

'i've been okay,' minju answered. 'i made a... nevermind.'

"what?" eunbi asked.

minju looked at the ground. 'i had made a friend in school,' minju explained. 'but i don't really know if we really are friends or if she was faking it.'

"what do you mean?" eunbi asked.

'we worked on a project together and hung out at lunch and went to the cinema together and stuff,' minju continued. 'but the last week ish she's been ignoring me and today i saw her hanging out with the girls who are mean to me in class.' if minju had any tears left she was sure that she'd be crying right now.

"oh minju," eunbi said. "i wish i could help. all i can say is maybe she has her reasons for changing so suddenly? maybe something happened? if she really is your friend she'll come back to you at some point."

minju nodded. 'thanks unnie,' minju forced a smile. 'how are you unnie? how was japan?'

"it was amazing," eunbi said. "college was great and my job was good enough. i'm glad to be home now though. i missed everyone a lot."

'you're back for good?' minju asked, her eyes widening.

eunbi nodded. "i finished my course and i got offered a job back here so i decided to come back," she explained. "i'm back anyway for... you know... the anniversary mass and everything so i decided i'd just stay."

minju swallowed. thats right. chaewon's anniversary was in about a week.

"lets go for ice cream," eunbi stood up. "my treat."

minju shook her head. 'i'm fine,' she signed. 'i'm not hungry.'

eunbi gave her a worried look. "are you sure?" she said. "have you eaten anything yet today?"

minju shook her head again. 'no but i'll have something when i get home.' lies.

eunbi looked doubtful but she decided to give minju the benefit of the doubt.

"well i'll walk home with you anyway," eunbi said. "i want to catch up with seokjin."

'okay,' minju replied.

they waited for seokjin to finish saying goodbye to his friends before they headed back to minju and seokjin's house.

"i got you some manga in japan," eunbi said, as they sat at the kitchen table. she pulled out a bag. "i didn't know what ones you'd be interested in so i just grabbed a couple that i thought you might like."

'thank you so much!' minju signed. she opened the bag. in was a few volumes of manga, a cute jumper and some snacks that minju knew seokjin would probably end up eating.

'i'm going to take a quick nap if thats okay with you guys,' minju signed, standing up.

"yeah sure of course," seokjin said.

"in case i'm gone before you wake up i'll see you in school on monday," eunbi said. "i'm coming in to talk to the principal and i'll come see you at lunch."

'okay,' minju signed. she gave eunbi another hug. 'i'll see you monday.'

"sleep well minju-ah," eunbi and seokjin said.

minju didn't sleep.


	21. e

minju was surprised when she walked into class and yujin was already sitting at her desk.

yujin smiled when she noticed minju but minju ignored her.

why should she acknowledge her after yujin treating her like she didn't exist the last week?

minju took out her books and pencil case and took to staring out the window. she was exhausted and she could feel a drop of sweat go down her forehead.

she felt a tap on her shoulder and ignored it the first time. on the third tap she snapped her head around to see yujin looking at her.

"hey minju, are you okay?" yujin asked. "you look really pale."

'i'm fine,' minju signed. 'leave me alone please.'

minju continued to stare out the window until mr. song arrived. she swung her head around to face the front of the room and was overwhelmed by a dizzy feeling. she blinked a couple of times to try steady her head.

she noticed yujin give her a worried look for the corner of her eye but she ignored it.

minju found it hard to keep her head steady throughout the class. when lunch time arrived she was glad for the opportunity to leave the classroom.

"hey minju do you want to join me for lunch?" minju heard yujin ask her but she didn't answer and just left the classroom.

minju wasn't hungry so she just grabbed a bottle of water and sat at a table. she held her head in her hands as a throbbing headache started to form. she took a deep breathe before looking back up. she opened her bottle of water to take a drink from it until she heard loud laughter.

one laugh too familiar.

one laugh a laugh that she loved the sound of so much.

she watched as wonyoung, yuri and yena walked over to a table, lunch trays in hand, with yujin by their side smiling and laughing.

minju closed her bottle and stood up. she walked as quickly as she could out of the lunch hall.

a wave of nausea hit her and she leaned against the wall.

"minju," the person calling her name sounded distant as she slipped into unconsciousness.

eunbi sped up as she saw the girl fall to the ground. "minju!" she called louder, panic rising in her voice.

she dropped down to minju's side and started to shake her. "minju, minju," she said. "can you hear me? please wake up. minju please." no response.

eunbi must have been loud because she soon heard footsteps running towards her.

eunbi held the side of her face down close to minju's face to check for breathing. eunbi let out a breathe of relief. unresponsive but still breathing.

eunbi rolled minju onto her side just as the person arrived.

"what happened?" mr. song asked, kneeling down beside eunbi.

"she- she just collapsed," eunbi explained. "she's still breathing thank god, but she's unresponsive."

"okay," mr. song said pulling out his phone. "i'll ring the hospital and you make sure that minju is okay."

a few minutes later an ambulance arrived to bring minju to the hospital. as all the students were still at lunch no one was there except mr. song, the principal, nurse im and eunbi so there was no delays or distractions.

eunbi went in the ambulance with minju and the ambulance crew. it was only then that it hit her to contact seokjin.

eunbi had lost her own phone at some point in the panic so she asked to borrow the ambulance's phone that was hooked up to the hospitals phone system.

"please," she said. "i need to contact minju's brother."

seokjin picked up on the third ring.

"hello?"

"seokjin? its me, eunbi. i'm in the ambulance with minju."

"what?"

"she collapsed in school. she's unconscious but still breathing. we're headed to the hospital right now and you can meet us there."

"yes yes of course. i'll leave right now. i'll see you there."

"be careful seokjin."

eunbi hung up and handed the phone back to the ambulance crew member.

eunbi looked worriedly at the frail looking girl lying on the stretcher.

_please be okay minju-ah._


	22. n

minju felt a sickening sense of dejavu as she regained consciousness.

she released, as she bolted upright, that the sick feeling wasn't just dejavu as she vomited all over the bed covers of the bed she was lying in.

"oh god," a voice said, handed her a bowl to continue getting sick in.

minju coughed. she blinked a couple of times to let her vision adjust. she saw that she was lying in a hospital room, not completely different from the one three years ago.

she looked around to see seokjin by her side once again. she also noticed that she was hooked up to an iv drip and a heart monitor among other things.

'what happened?' she signed weakly. it hurt to move her arms. it hurt to move anything. it felt like all her muscles and bones had stopped working.

"you collapsed in the middle of the hall at school at lunch today," seokjin said. his eyes were blood shot from crying. "thankfully eunbi saw you and her and mr. song got you help."

'what time is it now?' minju asked.

"ten at night," seokjin said rubbing his eyes.

'you should sleep,' minju winced at the pain in her arms but she was more worried about her brother than anything else at the moment.

seokjin shook his head. "i need to keep an eye on you," he said.

it was at that moment that the doctor chose to walk in.

"hello minju," he said. "its good that you're finally awake. how are you feeling?"

'tired, sore, weak,' minju signed. seokjin translated for her.

"ah okay," the doctor said. "mr. kim if you don't mind i'd like a word with you for a moment."

"sure," seokjin said standing up. "i'll be back in a minute, okay min?"

minju smiled weakly at her brother.

seokjin and the doctor left the room.

"so whats the results?" seokjin asked. he felt panic rise up in him when the doctor hesitated.

"shes extremely malnourished, dehydrated and sleep deprived," the doctor explained. "to put it simply... her whole body is starting to shut down."

seokjin didn't reply. what could he say anyway?

"we're going to have to keep her here until we can make sure that she is recovering fully," the doctor said. "we're not sure how long it will take but we'll have to be patient.

seokjin nodded soullessly. he hated the fact that his sister had alrwady gone through so much at such a young age.

"we can go back into her now," the doctor led seokjin back into minju's room to see the girl fast asleep.

"another thing that we discovered," the doctor said hesitantly. "since she's asleep at the moment i can tell you."

"what is it?" seokjin asked.

"her broca's area had already started to repair its self," the doctor said. "we're not sure since when it started to heal but she should be able to form some sort of speak at the moment but it seems that she doesn't."

"what does that mean?" seokjin asked.

"it means," the doctor continued. "that minju shouldn't be completely mute anymore. it means that she's partially selectively mute."


	23. c

minju had been in the hospital for a few days now and her condition was stable, not much better, but stable.

she woke and instantly vomited into the bowl beside her. it surprised the nurses to see that she could still vomit considering her stomach was empty.

the doctor and seokjin were trying to come up with the best way to ask minju about her muteness.

minju was bored but she knew that moving or doing anything would make her worse than she already was. she had her phone but just looking at videos of people being out and having fun filled her with sadness. the worst thing was when she came across a post by jang wonyoung of her, yuri, yena and yujin and the annual town fair.

minju could feel her eyes starting to water so she turned her phone off dried her eyes.

she had asked that no one in school were told about her being admitted to hospital. not that she thought they'd care, more so because she didn't want yujin to come.

minju's phone suddenly buzzed. she saw that there were three notifications after coming in.

one was a text from yujin that she chose to ignore for the moment.

the other two were memories from three years ago,

(picture of minju and chaewon)

(picture of minju and yena) 

this time minju couldn't contain her tears and she started to sob.

three years ago today was the day that she had been told, along with chaewon and yena, that they had been accepted into as one dance group. it was also two days before chaewon died.

minju could hardly remember that she and choi yena used to be friends... especially considering how things were now.

she must have made some sort of noise because seokjin came into the room. "whats wrong?" he asked, rushing to his little sisters side.

'i miss her,' minju signed shakily. 'i miss chaewon so so so much.' minju rubbed her eyes. 'why did it have to be her?'

"shushhh," seokjin tried to calm his sister. "i know min, i know. i know its hard for you. i know you miss her, we all do. but you have to stay strong. chae wouldn't want you to be like this."

minju nodded and closed her eyes. 'i know.'

seokjin rubbed his sister hair as she eventually calmed down.

minju decided to check the text from yujin.

'hey minjuuu. wanna meet up today?'

she almost laughed. minju shook her head.

"what is it?" seokjin asked.

'its nothing,' minju replied.

seokjin checked the time. "you should sleep for a while," he said. "try get energy so that you can eat something later."

minju nodded and settled into her hospital bed.

"i'll talk to you later," seokjin said turning off the lights and leaving the room.

it took minju a long time for minju to fall asleep. her chest ached horribly and her throat felt tight. she eventually fell asleep...  
  
  
  
  
  
  


...but she didn't wake up.


	24. e

two days later seokjin stood outside in the crisp morning air.

he felt a bit numb, and he wasn't sure if it was just the cold. the last two days had been rough,, extremely rough. he still remembered that night horribly clearly.

_the sound of a machine beeping filled the room and could be heard from down the hall. seokjin awoke from his nap in a panic._

_"whats happening? whats happening?" he asked, jumping up from his chair. a flurry of nurses and doctors ran past him into the hospital room in front of him... minju's room._

_"oh my god," seokjin said, trying to run into the room. a nurse blocked his path._

_"sir please do not enter," she said, trying to push him from the room."_

_"nurse i am a grown man and she is my sister," seokjin said. "i demand to be let in." the nurse hesitated but eventually let him in._

_seokjin almost dropped when he saw the scene unfolding in front of him. some doctors and nurses fiddled at the machines and drips while others crowded around minju trying to figure out what was wrong._

_minju was gasping and her eyes were wide in fright. seokjin pushed his way through to hold his sisters hand._

_"minju, minju," he said. "its okay, its okay."_

_"s-seokjin," her voice was hoarse from not being used in three years. she looked him directly in the eye. "i'm sorry."_

_seokjin's eyes filled with tears as heard his sisters voice. "no don't be sorry min-ah," he said, gripping her hand. "you've nothing to be sorry for."_

_minju rested her head back on her pillow as her breaths got shorter and sharper._

_"i love you," she whispered, it was barely audible. "yu-"_

_her final words were interrupted by the sound of the heart monitor flat lining. seokjin was rushed from the room as the doctors began cpr._

_"no no no," seokjin shouted, tears streaming down his face. "please no. minju. minju!"_

seokjin remembered how he had collapsed to the floor when the doctors came out to him twenty minutes later saying that minju was gone.

eunbi had arrived a few minutes later and the two had grieved together. the school and seokjin's friends had all been informed of the loss.

now seokjin stood in the graveyard as he watched his sisters coffin being lowered into the ground beside her best friends.

_be at peace minju-ah._

as the burial ended seokjin had to stand saying goodbye to everyone as they bid him their condolences. he didn't want to hear them. her loss was bad enough without him having to listen to people pity him and his sister, whether it was fake or genuine.

as seokjin was about to leave he felt a tug on his coat sleeve. he looked around to see none other than her standing beside him.

he didn't hesitate before pulling the young girl into a tight hug.

"i'm so sorry," yujin sobbed, burying her head in his coat. i should have stayed with her. i shouldn't have been such a coward."

"yujin stop," seokjin said, he forced a smile. "its not your fault. you couldn't have known. so please, don't let this do more harm to you than it already has."

yujin sniffled and rubbed her nose. she let out a breath and nodded reluctantly.

"i want to give you this," seokjin said. "its from minju. she must've-" his voice cracked. "she must've known her condition was worse than everyone thought and wrote this. i haven't read it."

yujin took the letter.

"i'm going to head off now," seokjin said, ruffling yujin's hair. "you'll be okay. we'll all be okay. maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday."

when seokjin left, yujin opened the letter.

_ yujin _

_ hi yujin-ah. if you got this letter it means.. it means i'm gone. i'm sorry for ignoring you that day, and not telling you about what was wrong with me or about what happened to make me mute. but i'm sure you've heard everything by now. _   
_ i was really depressed when you stopped talking to me and when i saw you with them i felt like i meant nothing to you to begin with. but i'm positive you have your reasons for doing what you did. _   
_ i know theres no point in telling you know but i think i love you ahn yujin. its a crazy thing to imagine. i only knew you for a few months but i fell for you. _   
_ i'm sorry for leaving you so soon. i would've liked more time with you but this was for the better. _   
_ so thank you for our time together. even though it was short and sweet i enjoyed every minute of it. so please don't be sad for too long. _   
_ i love you ahn yujin. _

_ kim minju. _

the tears started to fall again and this time yujin didn't try to stop them.

 _"kim minju... i love_ you."


	25. +

_ BONUS CHAPTER _

minju woke up and rubbed her eyes. she'd been in hospital for three days now and her condition was getting better by the day. the nurses had finally realised how bad minju's eating disorder had become and were working on getting her used to different sorts of food again.

soon enough she'd be let out from the hospital but she'd have to be under strict care. eunbi would be set to work in the school so that she could take care of minju for the first few weeks and also do her new job.

seokjin would look after minju when she was at home.

minju would also start speech therapy when she left the hospital. seokjin and the doctor had confronted her about why she hadn't tried to speak even if her broca's area was healing and she gave them her reasons.

minju was currently reading a book after eating a slice of toast for breakfast.

"minju," minju looked up to see seokjin standing at the door. "theres someone here to see you."

seokjin stood out from the doorway and minju was shocked at who stood in the doorway.

minju didn't even have time to sign anything as she was enveloped in a tight hug.

"oh my god i'm so so sorry," the person said, sniffling. "i'm sorry minju."

minju hesitated before eventually hugging back. tears filled her eyes.

'what are you doing here?' minju asked, once they had finished hugging.

yujin was still sobbing. "i-i," she tried to get her words out. "seokjin told me. i had to come see you, make sure you were okay."

'why?' minju asked, she had started crying again too. 'why now? after everything you've done?'

"because i love you," yujin said. "i love you kim minju. i don't when it happened or how, but it did. i love you and i'm sorry."

'i love you too,' minju signed.

yujin's eyes widened. "really?" she asked, her eyes watering again. "even after everything?"

minju shook her head and laughed. instead of answering she leant forward and pressed her lips onto yujins.

'does that answer your question?' minju signed as they pulled apart and smirked.

yujin didn't wait another second before locking her lips with minjus again.

"thank you," yujin said. "and about everything that ha-"

minju cut her off with another kiss. 'that doesn't matter for now,' minju signed. 'we can talk about that another day. right now i just want to be with you.'

minju wrapped her arms around yujin's waist and rested her head on yujin's shoulder.

yujin rested her head on minju's head. "i love you kim minju."

'i love you too ahn yujin.'

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!


End file.
